Karen’s in focus for fights & flights
In nature, it really is survival of the fittest.
These stunning pictures showing just that have gone viral – published as far afield as Malaysia and the USA – after Karen Crawford, from Ayr, captured them while out on a shoot at a secret location in the Scottish Borders.
The mum- of- three couldn’t believe her luck when a battle between a squirrel and a woodpecker broke out right in front of her eyes.
She had tactically placed some nuts in the hope she might spot a rare red squirrel – but she could never have guessed what would happen next.
Karen told the Post: “We put some
Snapper nuts on the tree stump for the squirrels but the woodpecker decided he was going to grab them first. The squirrels are normally waiting for you to put nuts out for them, but the woodpecker arrived first and had to protect its territory.
“The woodpecker was on one side of the stump feeding on the nuts and as soon as it saw the squirrel it became aggressive towards it.
“The squirrel didn’t back off at first but eventually it knew it had to because it wasn’t going to get anything.
“I’ve never seen anything like it before. The squirrel had its paw raised and the bird had its beak wide open – it was like they were going to have a fight.
“Luckily I was quick enough to fire the shutter to get the shot.”
Now the amazing pictures have gone viral and Karen said:
“They were great but I wasn’t expecting the response I got. They’ve been everywhere.
“I found them on a Malaysian
YouTube channel, they’ve been on Fox News in the States and in the Times, Herald, Guardian and the Daily Mail.
“I’ve lost count, they’ve even been published in other places I’ve never even heard of.”
After being made redundant in July, former childminder Karen, 59, says the publicity has given her a boost after lockdown.
The amateur nature photographer, and former chair of the Ayr Photographic Society, says she usually shoots landscape pictures – admitting she’s never seen anything like this before.
On the same day she managed to capture another stunning shot when a family of buzzards started having a scuffle nearby.
The former Mainholm Academy pupil said: “Amazingly the buzzards picture was on the same shoot.
“We were so lucky that day – with nature shoots you just have to sit and wait and see what you get.
“A fight broke out between a family of buzzards who were trying to tell their child it was time to fend for itself. When they get to a certain age it’s time for them to leave and the mum and dad were warding the young one off, telling him it’s time.
“I thought that one was better than the squirrel shot but I think a lot of people like the squirrel one better because it was so unusual.”
Karen says she wont disclose the location of the shoot in a bid to preserve nature. She added: “If you get every man and his dog going there you’ll scare them away – but it was at a location in the Borders.”